By
Aaron Cowman
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Writer, actor Eric Bogosian brings multiple characters to the stage
There are many ways to be Eric Bogosian.
Relatively unknown in the entertainment world, the actor and playwright will use his life experiences to manifest different identities on stage tomorrow night at Centennial Hall.
He portrays more than a dozen of these personas in his comedic show, "Wake Up and Smell the Coffee."
"I wanted to make a show that was a collage of all the characters inside of me," Bogosian said. "During the show, I go through a metamorphosis from character to character."
Bogosian said it is not a comedic performance in the technical sense, but that some may find humor in it.
"Big parts of it are just rants," he said. "The humor is a little dark and a little cynical."
Whereas other comedians perform skits, his characters spawn from within him, Bogosian said.
"No one really does what I do," he said. "I'm very much the character. It's pretty intense."
Bogosian has also performed in such movies as "Dolores Claiborne" and "Deconstructing Harry," as well as contributing his voice to "Beavis and Butthead Do America," which, Bogosian said, may show where his humor comes from.
"I think that if you liked Beavis and Butthead, you will like the show," Bogosian said.
He also played the lead role in Oliver Stone's "Talk Radio," which is based on Bogosian's own play. His off-Broadway performances have also garnered much attention.
"In New York, my shows have been hits," Bogosian said. "'Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll' was sold out for the whole season in the first few weeks."
Bogosian recently published his first book, "Mall," about the happenings of different, twisted individuals at a shopping mall. He said, like with his writing, many people are puzzled at his show style.
"People don't know what to expect when they come to see the shows," Bogosian said. "It depends on where your taste goes. A lot of people who are in college are strangely more conservative than I am, and they get confused."
Bogosian said he would like to pursue writing further, but for now, the stage is most appealing.
"I will probably write another book because that is so much fun," Bogosian said. "But right now, I am having a lot of fun acting. I was born in a fantasy world, and that is what acting is."
"Basically, I am going to come out on stage and set myself on fire and see how people react," he added. "Some might think it's funny, and others may be horrified. I get bored at the theater, so I wanted to do something that is intense for 90 minutes."
